Running Into You
by EagleWings21
Summary: Things are great for Rainbow Dash. She's in the Wonderbolt Reserves, she's doing well for herself, and she's got her friends. And yet, a certain longing feeling makes a home in her heart. Could running into an old friend solve the problems she faces? Rated Teen for suggestive themes and possible language.
1. Old Friends

Ponyville was one of those towns where everyone knew each other. Many towns are like that: they have their citizens, and often times if it was a small community, everyone kind of gets to know one another whether it is through a mutual friend, or perhaps just running into someone on the streets. In short, Ponyville was definitely one of those towns.

It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for a newcomer to arrive though. Twilight Sparkle is a testament to that. However, after her arrival and acceptance into this tiny community of peaceful ponies, the flow of new faces seemed to dwindle. Every now and again you would find a passerby, but that was usually the extent of it.

Storm Cloud was not one of those ponies. He had recently moved away from Cloudsdale, aiming to make it far in life. He didn't know exactly what he wanted to do or where he was going to wind up, but he knew he didn't want to be stuck in Cloudsdale as another weather factory worker – he figured there were plenty of those. Just because he was a Pegasus didn't mean he had to live up to a stereotype.

He was looking for a change of scenery. Cloudsdale was nice, but he wanted to get out and, (both figuratively and literally), spread his wings. He heard about Ponyville from a friend in casual conversation and wanted to check it out. His parents were supportive, and told him to go and see what he could reap from the world. With his saddlebags packed and a few bits in his name, he left Cloudsdale to find his way in life.

Storm had been traveling for a while now. He enjoyed sleeping in for the last time at his parents' house that morning and left around noon, spent a day in flight almost non-stop, and reached the city limits of Ponyville. Seeing as how it was approaching the evening hours, he decided to take a break from his journey. He figured he would stop at the local bar for a casual drink. It was a nice place; it wasn't too big, but it definitely left room for anyone who didn't particularly like getting too touchy-feely. As he went to the bar, he looked around for anyone who was able to serve him. Luckily for him a stallion with a cutie mark of a beer mug came right up to him.

"Good evening sir, what's your poison?"

Storm looked up and jumped at the sudden vocalization, "I'll just take a rum and coke for now."

As the stallion smiled and nodded, Storm looked around aimlessly for a bit, trying to plan out his journey. He received his drink, and stirred the straw around in it slowly. As he took a sip, he was debating staying in Ponyville for a few days. The people seemed nice enough, and he took a look around the bar once more to further take in his surroundings. He then jumped a bit as he heard a voice he hadn't heard in a long time call his name.

"Storm, Storm! Is that you? Is that really you?!"

He turned around to see a certain excited female cyan pegasus looking at him with excited eyes. He'd recognize that prismatic mane anywhere and instantly felt both a mix of shock and joy.

"R-Rainbow Dash? Is it really you?!" He couldn't believe it – the mare he grew up with right in front of him. He looked her over; to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. A tri-colored lightning bolt cutie mark, that rainbow mane, and her one-of-a-kind magenta eyes. After all these years, she still looked amazing.

"Well, duh it's me! Oh wow, how are you?! It's been like, forever dude!" She set her drink down and closed in to give him a hug.

As he hugged back he continued, "I know! I think the last time I saw you was at graduation like, four years ago! What have you been doing ever since?" He knew all about the Elements of Harmony and such from reading the papers, news like that doesn't tend to stay confined to just one region of Equestria. He figured it would be a good springboard for conversation though.

"Oh, you know, just being my awesome self and saving the world from unimaginable horrors and such, the usual." She smiled her trademark smug grin and lightly dusted off her mane from her dripping ego. He couldn't help but chuckle, realizing she hasn't changed much.

"What about you?" She asked as she took a sip from her drink.

"Huh? What about me?"

"Yeah! You can't just go running off for like, four years and not expect me to ask what you've been doing." She picked up her beer and took another sip as she awaited her stunned friend's response.

He took a nervous sip from his own drink again and responded gingerly, "Well, I…you see, I…well, I haven't really done too much, to be terribly honest. I mean, I went to school and graduated with a degree, but that's about it so far. I still just have no idea what to do with my life. So, I figured I'd just kind of wonder around Equestria until something comes my way."

"Oh, I see." She took a second to collect her thoughts. "So, what are you doing in Ponyville? Just passing through, or are you looking to move here?"

"Well, I'm not too sure yet. Like I said, I don't really know what I'm looking for." Storm looked up at the clock on the wall, noting the time. "Though, it is getting kind of late, and I was going to crash at a hotel nearby or something. My buddy told me about this nice hotel near the town square, and I should probably get there before it gets too late."

Rainbow nodded her head, but then spoke up as an idea popped in her head, "You know, you could just crash at my place for the night."

Storm nearly choked on his drink as he heard her proposition. "Really? I mean, I don't want to impose or anything, and that's not what I was trying to get at. I mean, I have plenty of bits to pay fo-." He was cut off by Rainbow's hoof in his mouth.

"Nope, I won't take 'no' for an answer. You know how many times you saved my flank back in school from getting in trouble? Consider this as a small bit of thanks for all those times. C'mon, let's get out of here."

Storm couldn't help but feel a little guilty at this sudden unexpected offer from the mare, so he paid for both their drinks and they took their leave walking down the road from the bar towards her cloud home. It was a nice clear night out, and Storm insisted on walking instead of flying for now to give his tired wings a break. Still feeling a bit uncomfortable, he thought of a sudden possible way to get out of this, "Hey, I really don't know about this. I mean, I really don't want to intrude. I don't even know if you're seeing anyone, and I don't want to invade on your life that way."

Rainbow Dash scoffed at this, "Seriously? You think I'd really invite you back to my place if I was seeing someone? Please. I didn't need anyone back in school, and I definitely don't need anyone now. Not many stallions can handle my degree of awesomeness!" Outwardly she beamed at this statement with pride, but inwardly she wasn't exactly feeling what her appearance was letting on.

"Honestly, that surprises me." Storm was shocked to hear this. "I figured you would've been the first one of my friends to get together with someone."

She was caught off-guard by his statement. "Oh really now? And why's that?" She was interested to see what kind of trap she could make him fall into, and raised her eyebrow in curiosity to see how bad she could make his situation.

"Well, I mean…you're nice and all, and kind of pretty, so I just figured…" he trailed off as he awkwardly tripped over himself desperately trying to come up with something more to say. He cursed under his breath for starting something he knew he should have just kept his mouth shut about. ' _Dammit, Storm. Why do you have to be so awkward?'_ He was brought back from his thoughts as he heard Rainbow Dash respond to his dilemma,

"Huh, just kind of pretty, eh? Alright, I see how it is…" She pretends to be offended and looked down as if depressed, but in reality she was really getting a kick out of making him squirm.

"No! I didn't mean like that! I just, well, I…" He trailed off then sighed to himself, "Just forget it. I'll think of something smart to say one of these days."

Dash chuckled to herself as she saw his slightly downtrodden face and playfully bumped his shoulder with her side, "I'm only kidding. You haven't changed a bit. What about you, got any lucky ladies falling at your hooves?"

"Please, Rainbow. You know how awkward I am. I can barely say 'hi' without making a fool of myself. Maybe one of these days I'll meet someone who can look past all that."

She quickly interjected, "Aw, you're too hard on yourself, Storm. I personally think someone would be lucky to have you. I mean, you're not as lame as you think you are. I'd argue that you're at least half as awesome as me, or maybe even more! I think some days you _are_ as awesome as me!"

He smiled at this friendly remark and continued walking with her. "Well, thanks for that, I appreciate it. So, what about you? What do you do for yourself? Surely being awesome alone can't put food on the table."

She laughed a little at that and replied, "I'm a weather pony. I just kind of fly around, making sure things get rained on that need it. And, when I'm not doing that, I'm practicing for the Wonderbolts."

He smirked at her enthusiasm as he fondly remembered all those times she used to go on about them back in school, always talking about how she would strive to make it amongst their ranks one day. "So, still obsessed about joining them?"

"Of course! I'm even in the reserves right now! I just need to be promoted to active duty then I'm home free. The waiting list is pretty long though, so I got a ways to go till I get my time to really shine. But it'll come, just you wait."

"Ah, okay." They enjoyed a comfortable silence as they approached the base of her cloud home together. Dash poked at his side with her wing to snap him out of the little trance he's fallen in.

"Alrighty, we're here! You think you can fly up after flying all day?"

"Yeah, I think I'll be alright." He strapped on his saddlebags a little tighter to prepare for the short flight up.

Once on the porch, Rainbow fiddled with her keys as she prepared to unlock the door. "Now, please excuse the mess, but I just got back from a week of training at the Wonderbolts Academy today, so I haven't had time to really unpack a whole lot."

"Oh, you're fine. I'm just thankful that you offered me a place to stay."

"Oh, it's no problem." She smiled after saying that, remembering how much of a gentlecolt he was. After fiddling with her lock a little more, she opened the door and led him inside her cloud castle in the sky.

Upon walking inside, Storm was taken aback by how elegant the cloud home was. It wasn't terribly big, but still big enough to provide a comfortable living space. The puffy clouds were a comfort to his sore hooves, and found that it wasn't nearly as much as a mess as Rainbow made it seem. Still in a bit of initial shock he spoke up, "Wow, this place is amazing! I mean, you really did well for yourself! I bet your dad is so proud of you."

Rainbow tossed her keys on the table next to the door and chuckled, "Yeah, he's really happy for me. Every now and then he comes to visit, and we always have a great time together."

He smiled and nodded as he walked into the house some more, as he continued the exploration his host's palace in the sky.

Rainbow walked to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. As she did this, she coyly watched her houseguest walk around while he continued to give himself a small tour of her living room as he put his bags down next to the couch.

Rainbow Dash had her friends among the citizens of Ponyville like Fluttershy, Applejack and the rest, but she had very few male friends. She honestly didn't really like having them too much, seeing as how most of them only wanted to be her friend for one night then leave her on the wayside. She was too smart to be taken advantage of like that. However, growing up with Storm really was a truly different experience.

He was always there for her, and always was the first one among her friends in Cloudsdale to offer a helping hoof whenever she needed it. Whenever she had bully problems he would be the first one she would complain to and often seek comfort from. She really clung to him even more when her parents got divorced. After her father broke the news to her, she found herself getting in trouble and rebelling with her friends in school by sneaking out and pulling pranks on others as a way of lashing out her frustrations. While most of these pranks were relatively harmless, vandalism was a crime. Whenever she would get in trouble, Storm would try to find a way to help her cover up her tracks to make any punishment she received a little more bearable. Sometimes, he would even find a way to cover for her completely so she didn't get punished at all. He was special to her, even if he didn't always see it. He was modest that way – never trying to take more than he was given, and trying to be thankful for what he had. Though, that seemed to be a bit of a downfall while being a respectable quality. Sometimes, she wished that he wouldn't be afraid to try just a little harder so that she could truly express what she really felt about him. Making the first move really wasn't her thing, but she was certain she'd be glad to respond if he ever made one.

Hearing his voice, she snapped out of her own world of thought as he walked over and asked, "Is the couch okay?"

"Huh? What?"

He chuckled lightly and asked again, "I asked if the couch was okay. You know, for me to sleep on?"

"Oh, oh yeah! That's fine! I mean, let me get some blankets and stuff for you."

As she took her leave, she looked back at him while he unpacked a small book and sat on the edge of the couch. Smirking to herself, she hurried to her bedroom to get a blanket and a pillow. She quickly returned and saw him scribbling a few words down and asked, "Whatcha got there?"

Unprepared for the question, he answered, "Oh, this? It's my journal. I'm just kind of writing down stuff that happens to me along the way, just to have something to look back on; self-reflection and all that jazz."

"I never thought about that, that's pretty cool. Maybe I should start one, my life's full of awesomeness!" She said as she made up the couch, earning her a few laughs out of him.

"Yeah, I think you'd need a few journals to document all that."

With a growing smirk, she narrowed her eyes and retorted, "Was that a compliment?"

He smirked back, and asked, "I don't know, was it?"

She shook her head and kept smiling to herself as she finished up the last touches on the couch. "Alright, I think you're all set. If you need anything, my room's the last door on the left at the end of the hall; bathroom's the first door on the right."

He finished writing the last bit of his thoughts down in his journal, closed it up and put it back in the bag. "Thanks again, Rainbow. I really appreciate all of this."

"Like I said, it's no problem at all. I'm just glad I ran into you! I hope you're not planning on leaving so soon, we have tons we have to do together!"

It never really occurred to him what he would do when he got to Ponyville. The last time he thought about that was at the bar, and he didn't even get to finish thinking about it. So with that in mind he thought out loud, "Well, I have to admit, I really didn't know where I was going whenever I got up tomorrow, so I'm all for spending some much needed catch-up time together. What is there to do around here?"

"Oh, I know Ponyville looks small, but trust me, it grows on ya. There's the bake shop, and the Apple Farm, and a whole bunch of other stuff! There's even a princess who lives here now! You'll love it! I'll introduce you to all my friends, and I'm telling you: by the end of the week, you'll never want to leave."

"Is that a fact?"

"Yep. Wanna know how I know?"

He sighed and smiled, "Okay I'll bite. How do you know?"

She offered her own smile back, "Because whenever I came here from Cloudsdale, the same thing happened to me."

He laughed at her enthusiasm once again, and decided to end things for the night to get some well-earned rest. "We'll see what happens. But I think if we're going do all that, I should try and get some sleep now."

"Yeah, I don't blame you. Sounds like you had a long day." She was a little bummed to see that he wanted to go to bed now because of all the talking she still had left in her. But she understood.

She was interrupted from her thoughts though whenever he pulled her in for a nice tight hug which she gladly, though unexpectedly received. "You truly are awesome, Rainbow Dash. I'm so blessed to have someone like you as a friend."

Taken aback by the sudden display of affection, she held him just a little tighter than she thought she was, as sudden flashes of memories of her and Storm together in the same kind of hug raced through her mind's eye. With a small lump in her throat and a growing blush on her face she softly spoke, "Yeah…same goes for you…"

They said their goodnights, and she hovered slowly to her room as she took another quick look back at the stallion getting situated on her couch. She smiled warmly and mused to herself, "No, Storm, I'm the one who's blessed." With that, she went to her room and found her way under her warm covers, and fell asleep with a content smile on her face. She soon was lost to her dreams, eagerly awaiting the morning to come.


	2. Heavier Ground

Rainbow Dash woke up groggy. The sun had a distinctive talent of, while being millions of light years away, aiming perfectly through the curtains of any bedroom. She cursed this unfortunate fact of life. Slowly she got up, and staggered her way to the living room where she found Storm sitting up on the couch, writing in his journal. Her brain wasn't fully awake yet, but she noticed something off about Storm that morning. His eyes were red and puffy, like they were exhausted from crying. She wondered if he was okay. She knew that she sprung the whole invitation back to her house on him out of the blue, but she didn't think that he would get all emotional about that. Then, an idea as to why he was emotional hit her right in the face, and it finally made some sort of weird sense. She dismissed it for now, though. He just woke up, and looked to be in no mood to discuss something that heavy right off the bat.

She walked into the kitchen to get some coffee and saw Storm get up. She stopped him briefly though, hovering towards him as her curiosity got the better of her, "Storm, are you okay? You look like you had a rough night."

He was a little confused at first, but then knew what she meant. "What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

She was skeptical. "No offense, but you don't look fine. You sure you're okay? You look like you've been crying."

He really didn't want her to ask any more questions. His nightmares were his business and his business only – at least, that's how he saw it. "Look, I promise I'm okay."

She threw her hooves up in defense, "Okay, as long as you're sure." She gave him her coffee. "Here have some; you need it."

He gave a nod in the air as a means of thanks, and walked to the table. She watched him scratch his head as he lazily took a sip of the morning brew. She knew _something_ was up, and she would eventually get to the bottom of it.

After a breakfast of toast and some fruit, the two pegasi decided to get out for a little bit and hit the town. Storm was still new to Ponyville, and Dash thought that, since she was the only friend he currently had living there, she would be the one to break him in. While they flew alongside each other, she decided to play a little game of catch-up with her life-long friend.

"So, I remember you mentioned that you went to school for a few years. What did you study?"

Storm looked at her quizzically before remembering that he told her about what he did the previous night, "Oh, yeah. I earned a bachelor's degree in psychology."

Impressed, she looked at him with a smile, "That doesn't really surprise me. You've always been the one to go to about anything."

He felt good from hearing that, and smiled back, "Well, thanks. I just like being there for others if I can. I always got a sense of fulfillment from that. That being said, I'm not totally sure if sitting in an office somewhere listening to ponies complain to me about their lives all the time is exactly what I had in mind when it comes to a career choice. Doesn't seem like something I want to profit off of as far as money goes – I look for the sentimental value more than how much I can earn from it."

She briefly though back to all the times he helped her out while they were growing up. "Well, that's a pretty sappy answer for now, but I guess I'll take it." She grinned to signify that she was kidding, and was glad when he offered his own grin back to her.

"Yeah, well, what did you expect from me?"

"Nothing short of that I suppose." She felt good that he was loosening up a little, and decided she would continue to make small talk before trying to figure out what was eating at him. "How are your wings holding up from yesterday? Are they still sore?"

"Yeah, just a little bit tender. I'm guessing it's because I haven't worked them that hard in quite a while."

"Well, if you want, we could take a quick break on a cloud for a few minutes and let you stretch them out for a bit?"

He looked back at his wings, as he felt them start to cramp a little. "Sure, sounds good to me."

She scouted for a comfortable cloud. She found one after a few seconds of looking: a stray cumulous was floating idly by as they approached the outskirts of Ponyville's airspace. She gingerly landed on the cloud to test its fluffiness, and nodded in approval at the texture. She motioned for him to join her as he landed next to her. He started to preen his tender wings soon after his touchdown.

She figured this could be a good time for some more small talk, trying to delay the inevitable question she had for as long as she could. "Man, nothing like a good cloud to just chill on, huh Storm?" She winced a little to herself at how stupid the question seemed.

He nodded as he preened away, "Yeah, one of the benefits of being a pegasus. I don't know how Earth ponies and Unicorns do it."

She huffed, "Yeah, me neither. I could never get used to being on the ground like that all the time."

He let out some chuckles and agreed. He wanted to try to come up with a topic, giving the mare a chance to take a break from being the first one to talk. "So, what's it like being a bearer of an Element of Harmony? Like, what exactly is it that you do? I read about the stuff you guys pulled off, and it's amazing. Do you have any other duties?"

She was caught off guard at the question, but welcomed it nonetheless as it gave her more time to mentally prepare herself for what was sure to come. She shrugged, "Eh, not really. I didn't even know about the elements until Twilight came to town. Normally I'm just myself, and go about my business. If the elements need to be used, Twilight calls on us. I was always told I was a loyal friend, but I didn't think it'd be that big of a deal." She was enjoying herself. It was nice to just enjoy time with a friend she hadn't heard from in a while.

Despite all the talking, the question she thought of earlier that morning still burned deeply in her conscious and she was starting to feel rather nervous about asking it. She felt a tugging feeling inside her chest, as if warning her not to tread into that territory. Maybe it could wait till later? Or was she just overthinking it? No, she needed to stop this. She needed to just go ahead and do it, even if it did mean possibly facing a very uncomfortable situation. One of her life-long friends was in her house, crying his eyes out last night. His words may have said he was fine, but his eyes betrayed him more than he thought. She knew something was bothering him, and would bother her if she didn't at least make a true, genuine attempt to help him. She wasn't about to let him get away with it that easily. There was no doubt in her now: it needed to be done.

The conversation reached a standstill. Rainbow saw her chance to take the risk she was waiting for. She looked over at Storm, breathed in deep, and exhaled. He was still tending to his wings. She looked back in front of her and closed her eyes. She spoke barely above that of a trembling whisper, "Hey… you remember the last time we saw each other?"

Storm stopped preening. His eyes shot open, scared to death of that one, simple question. Of course he remembered. He'll always remember. It's not something he could easily forget, no matter how much he tried.

 _The graduating students of Cloudsdale High School prepared to walk into the gymnasium for the final time. Graduation was set at six p.m., though everyone was starting to arrive a few minutes early to take their seats and get situated for the upcoming ceremony. Fluttershy and Gilda were talking amongst themselves as they awaited the arrival of their two other friends._

" _I sure hope that Storm and Dashie get here soon. Being in crowds of ponies is so…unsettling."_

 _Gilda took mock offense to this, "Oh, what, and I'm just chopped liver?"_

 _Fluttershy rolled her eyes a little at that, "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I just wonder what's taking them so long."_

 _Gilda agreed. "Yeah, seems like those two have been spending a lot of time together recently."_

 _As if on cue, Storm and Rainbow Dash came rushing in, hastily throwing on their caps and gowns to get ready for the soon-to-start ceremony. Dash was the first one to speak up, "Sorry we kept you guys waiting; we had a bit of a problem to fix."_

 _Gilda let her impatience talk for her, "Yeah? Well, seems like that's a common occurrence these days with you two."_

 _Dash narrowed her eyes in annoyance and retaliated, "What's that supposed to mean?"_

 _To Rainbow's surprise, Gilda put her talon around her neck and led her away from Storm for the time being while he talked with Fluttershy. "Listen, Dash, are you sure there's nothing going on?"_

 _Rainbow raised a brow in confusion, "What do you mean, exactly?"_

" _What I mean is that Fluttershy and I have been talking, and we notice you guys are spending way more time together than you used to. I mean, we get it. We just wish that you would spill it already. You don't need to keep secrets from us."_

" _Get what? You're not making any sense. What are you trying at?" As she tried to think, Rainbow froze as she pieced the puzzle together, "Y-you think that Storm and I are-"_

 _Gilda interrupted, "What's the big deal? So you guys are going out, it was only a matter of time really. We both know that you care about him a lot, there's no shame in that. In fact, if that's what's been going on, then we're really happy for you! We just wish you'd be honest with us about it."_

 _Rainbow blushed furiously at the accusation. She knew that she and Storm were considerably close, but she also knew for a fact that they weren't an item. Although she knew the truth, she felt a strange calm while considering the thought of dating him. Did she maybe have feelings for him and just didn't know it? Was Gilda right? Did he maybe have any feelings for her? Annoyed by the persistent questions in her mind, she chose to put an end to the conversation for the time being. "Look, we're not together. He was just helping me out, alright?"_

" _Helping you out with what? You can talk to us too, ya know. We've been worried about you, Dash. We're your friends just as much as he is." Gilda wasn't really one to offer comfort, but confrontations were somewhat of a specialty to her._

 _Rainbow sighed, "Look, let's just get through graduation, okay? Forget about this for right now, we'll talk more about it later. I just want to enjoy the rest of the night and get through this." Rainbow put on her best fake smile as she hugged her friend in re-assurance, and tried to get past this temporary speed bump._

 _Gilda received the hug hesitantly, but still wasn't buying the act. "Alright Dash, but you're still not off the hook yet."_

 _Eventually the ceremony started. Speeches were given, memories were shared, and the graduating class of Cloudsdale High was finally dismissed for the last time. Three out of the four friends were hanging around congratulating each other as they discussed their plans for later that evening._

 _Fluttershy strained to have her voice heard above the crowd, "I'm going to fly to my cousin's house, we're going to watch movies all night and have a slumber party. What are you doing, Gilda?_

" _I'm heading back to Griffonstone to see my extended family – we're doing a pig roast! I can't wait to get my claws on those juicy succulent pork chops! And the bacon! So much bacon…"_

 _Fluttershy gasped loudly at this, and Rainbow put a comforting wing around her timid friend as she shot Gilda a glare._

 _Gilda sheepishly responded, "Oh, forgot about that…sorry."_

 _Rainbow rolled her eyes as Storm approached her from behind and gave her a huge hug. "Guys! We finally did it! We're done! Can you believe it?!"_

 _A little taken aback from the sudden gesture, Rainbow turned around to give him a proper hug in return, "I know! I'm so gonna party tonight! You wanna come along?"_

 _He brightened up even more, "Haha, count me in! I can't wait to see what kind of stuff we're going get into!"_

 _As he said that last bit, Dash, though smiling, felt her mind drift back to what Gilda confronted her about before the ceremony. She tried not to let her emotions show too much, but must have let something slip as he caught onto her expression quickly deflating, "Is something wrong, Rainbow?"_

" _Huh? Oh, nothing! Nothing's wrong. We're gonna have such a great time!" She tried to play it off cool, but he wasn't so easily convinced. Something was wrong._

" _Rainbow, can we talk for a few by ourselves for a few minutes?"_

 _A little stunned by the request, she complied. "Sure, what's up?"_

 _Looking to take this away from the crowd, he had an idea. "Here, let's go outside to get some air."_

 _He led her away from the group as Gilda leaned over to Fluttershy, "See? What did I say? I knew it." Fluttershy simply nodded her head, straining to see what was going on between the two of them as they walked out of sight into the sea of ponies around them._

 _She asked Gilda with concern, "Do you think they'll be okay?"_

 _Gilda shrugged. "I dunno. You know who definitely won't be okay though?"_

 _Concerned, Fluttershy responded, "Who?"_

 _The Griffon smirked, "That little piggy back home once I get my talons on those juicy chops." She licked her beak in satisfaction as she fantasized about her future meal._

 _Fluttershy deadpanned. "Why are we friends again?"_

 _Away from the commotion in the gym, two pegasi walked quickly outside._

 _Rainbow tried to act cool once more, "Woah, Storm. Take it easy, what's the rush? You're kind of acting a little loopy all of the sudden. Was your cap on too tight or something? You do know that you could have ordered a bigger size, right?"_

 _Storm knew something was up though, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. "Rainbow, what's going on? You were acting really weird back there. Is this about what happened earlier today?"_

 _Rainbow got quiet as she remembered the day's events. It had been a rough morning for her. Her dad was drinking again and shouting again. Shouting at Rainbow for reminding him too much of her mother, shouting because he drank the last of his whisky, and shouting because he was a burning soul who just couldn't let go of the past. Rainbow flew out of her bedroom window like she did so many times before to Storm's house, to tell him about what was going on. She once again told him about her broken home, and cried in his tender embrace for a solid hour and a half as she let her newest dose of exhausted pain out all over him, as she tightened her hold on him. She would apologize for being such a burden to him as well as a clingy friend. No matter how many times she would say that, he always re-assured her that she was nothing of the sort, and that he was always happy to try and help her in any way he could. She was glad to have Storm there for her. It was like this ever since the beginning of their freshman year together and four years later, now graduating seniors, it was all just as painful to her as the day it happened._

" _No, it has nothing to do with that. Or…maybe it does. Ugh, I'm not sure, okay?!" She didn't mean to snap like that, but first Gilda got on her case, and now Storm? This was getting ridiculous. But why did she feel so conflicted? She knew she didn't look at Storm that way. She cared about him, of course. But there wasn't anything more to it._

 _Right?_

 _He tried to comfort her, "Rainbow, you know you can trust me with anything. I'd like to think that you would know that by now after all we've been through in the past few years."_

 _She sighed, "It's not that I don't trust you, Storm; it's not that at all. Some days, I feel like you're the only one I_ _ **can**_ _trust. It's not even that big of a deal! Gilda was just trying to rustle my feathers earlier by talking about us. She kept on going on about us being a couple, and I tried to tell her that nothing was up! That's all that happened, I swear. But for some reason, I feel bad about it."_

 _He really didn't know how to answer. In all the years he'd known Rainbow Dash, he never really thought too much about them dating. Sure he thought she was really pretty and had an attitude to match, but he always figured she'd date someone more athletic, or fun to be around, or just better in general. He was just Storm; no one special._

" _Well, why do you feel bad about it?" He couldn't help but give in to his curiosity._

" _I – I don't really know. I mean, you've always been there for me, and you know me better than anyone else does. I guess the more I think about it, I feel like it would make some sense, but I feel bad because I'm pushing it away. Or something like that. I don't know, okay?!" She just had enough. She looked back at him in angry desperation, "You're the smart one out of us; you should be able to figure this out for me!"_

 _He laughed in a vain attempt to lighten the mood a little, but she far from laughing. She looked up at him with stressful eyes; the weight of everything pushing hard on her shoulders. She had to figure this out, one way or another. Suddenly this became the most important matter at hand for her. She needed to try and see if this was really something, or if it was just a matter of circumstance. This called for major action on her part, as well as his. She sighed deeply and then spoke with an uneasy quietness, looking away from Storm. "I want to try something."_

 _His ears perked up, "Um…okay, what is it?" He was thoroughly confused now. What could she want to try?_

 _She went on in an uneasy voice, "Well, I don't know if this is all just me being weird, if there's anything to it, or what…but you got to trust me on this, okay?"_

 _He shifted nervously, "O-okay. Rainbow, not going to lie, you're scaring me a little here."_

" _Shhhhh." She pressed her hoof softly to his mouth. She spoke in a soft, innocent tone, "I need you to just please trust me, okay?" She gazed into his soft blue-grey eyes with her magenta ones, tears starting to appear and gloss over her eyes as she silently begged for his cooperation._

 _When he realized the serious attitude she adapted, he took one on himself, "Okay, Dashie. I trust you."_

 _Her stomach fluttered when he called her that. A warm, tingling sensation spread from her head all the way down to her tail. The only ones to ever call her that before were her parents and Fluttershy, but there was something special in the way he said it that made her heart fly faster than she ever could._

 _She gently took his face in her hooves, gazed into his eyes and whispered, "Close your eyes."_

 _He obeyed the innocent request. As soon as he did, he felt warm lips press tightly against his. His tense body relaxed as she wrapped her forelegs around him, while he did the same to her. They succumbed to a tight embrace, one that snuffed out all of the fiery questions in Rainbow Dash's mind. Their hearts sang out in ecstasy, and a single tear rolled gently down Rainbow's cheek._

 _Their slice of Heaven was interrupted though whenever the couple heard a voice, "Dash, Storm, there you are! We've been looking all over for you and -" Gilda stopped right in her tracks as she caught them in the act. Time froze._

 _Storm's eyes shot wide open as he looked hastily to his left, meeting eye-to-eye with a speechless Griffon. Fluttershy was trailing not too far behind as she caught up with her half-lion, half-eagle friend. As soon as she saw what Gilda saw, however, she too froze in her tracks; and the four friends were caught in the most compromising position they had been presented with yet._

 _Storm stammered, "I-it's not what it looks like, I just came to talk to her, and I -" Storm quickly released Rainbow from his embrace, much to her disappointment. "- I wasn't trying anything funny, I swear!" He was starting to panic. He felt his chest tighten up with growing anxiety. He knew that Gilda and Fluttershy were aware about Rainbow's situation at home, and didn't want them thinking that he was trying to take advantage of Rainbow in her fragile condition._

" _Storm, no one said you were! We were just coming out to see what was going on, that's all!" Fluttershy felt bad for him, and tried to calm him down with her words, but to no avail. He backed away from the group with fear in his eyes._

" _I… I need to go." He looked back at Rainbow dash; back at her pleading, longing expression. He backed up even further. With guilt growing more rapidly by the second, he looked at Rainbow with woe, "I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry…"_

 _He flew the fastest he'd ever flown that night._

" _Storm, wait! Come back! I'm the one who's sorry, it's my fault! PLEASE!" Rainbow shouted through a cracking voice, but it was no use. He was long gone, and she was left to the comfort of her friends as they tried their best to help her in any way they can. As they listened to her shaky explanation of the events that occurred, she steadily broke down. Nothing could comfort her now. She looked up one last time at the sky, but all she saw were misty stars glowing in the dark of night._

Rainbow walked over to where Storm was sitting on the cloud, and noticed how silent he had fallen. She looked, and saw tears form trails down his face with how he had been lost in memories. His face was stoic though, he was clearly trying not to lose it in front of her.

She draped her wing around him, and made him look her in the eye, "Storm, I don't know if this will ever make it better, but for what it's worth, I'm so, so sorry. I never should have done that to you. I never meant to put you on the spot like that. I was so confused, and angry, and miserable. It wasn't fair to you, and I won't ever pull another stunt like that again. Please…can you ever forgive me?"

Storm just kept his gaze fixed on hers, and sighed, "I would forgive you, if you did anything wrong – but you didn't. As you said, you were confused, and you just wanted answers. I can't fault you for that." He pulled her into his own embrace and continued, "I'm only sorry I ran off like a dammed coward. You really needed me, and I just flew away without even giving you a a chance to talk it out or anything. I've let that shame eat me up for four long years, because I just can't stand the fact that I left you hanging like that. I'm the one who's sorry, Rainbow. Can you ever forgive me for that?"

Rainbow felt tears prick her eyes and responded, "I forgave you the second you did it."

When she said that, his teary dam broke, and fresh tears flowed freely; like a flood down his face. Seeing him in his condition, she soon followed suit. As the two friends cried into each other's tight embrace for a few good minutes, Rainbow Dash spoke up as the tears steadily calmed.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm willing to put all of this behind us. I still have tons to show you, and I want this to be a fun day. Can we please do that?" She looked at him with a hopeful smile.

Feeling relieved, he smiled a warm, comfortable smile back at his life-long friend, "I'd love that."

She beamed with pride, wiping away a few tear stains. "Well, in that case, let's get to town! I have all my friends you need to meet and I know you're gonna love 'em!"

As he smiled in anticipation, an idea struck him. "Hey, Rainbow, want to race?"

She was surprised by the out-of-the-blue request. She figured he wouldn't be up to it with his wings being sore; then again, she wasn't one to turn down a friendly challenge. She offered her famous grin, "I thought you'd never ask. I'll even give you a ten second head start! But don't worry, I promise you'll still lose."

He chuckled and shot back, "Oh, it is so on!" With that, he took off futilely for the victory he pretended he would have. He knew he'd lose, but he also knew how much fun it would be.

As Rainbow looked on at the stallion charging off towards Ponyville, she felt that warm, tingly sensation from that fateful night return. Only this time, she welcomed it instead of questioning it. Getting into position and spreading her wings, she smiled to herself: "Yeah, it's on."


	3. New Friends and Punching Clouds

Storm cut through the air, wind whipping through his wild mane. He heard Rainbow coming fast from behind as she zoomed past him with her signature rainbow trail. He smiled and shook his head as he saw her slow down for a second, "Ha, took you long enough to catch up!"

She was surprised by his boldness, "Oh yeah? Well, time for you to do some catching up yourself!" She sped off, leaving him in the dust.

She touched down in Town Square and looked behind her as he followed suit. He was laughing as he landed and trotted over to her, "You know, I thought I almost had you there. Wouldn't that be something? 'The amazing Rainbow Dash lost a race to a non-Wonderbolt'." They started their walk towards a particular destination.

She nudged his shoulder with her hoof, "Psh, like that would ever happen. Ever since I got into the academy, I've been in better shape than I've ever known."

"I can tell. I think this is the best you've ever looked." He blushed as he tried to play off the compliment he gave her. "Anyway, what's on our agenda for today?"

Concealing a small blush herself, she stammered, "Uh…ahem. I uh, I was thinking maybe we could start off with something to eat?"

"Didn't we just have breakfast like, an hour ago?"

"Yeah, but you've never experienced Sugar Cube Corner."

"I'm guessing from the sounds of it, that's the bakery you mentioned last night?"

She nodded, "Yep, that's the one. Oh, I should probably warn you about something, rather somepony first."

Confused, he glanced at her, "Who?"

She sighed, as if preparing to break bad news to someone, "Pinkie Pie."

All was quiet for a change as Rainbow Dash and Storm Cloud walked through the front doors of Sugar Cube Corner. Storm was oblivious as ever, seeing as how he didn't know what to expect. Rainbow, however, knew all too well that something was up. Very rarely was the bakery quiet like this. This could mean one of two things: the bakery was closed and Pinkie forgot to lock the door again, or she was up to something.

They walked over to the counter, but no one was behind it. Storm looked at Rainbow in curiosity, "Uh, are you sure they're open? We can always come back later if we need to."

Rainbow spoke in hushed tones, "No, just I have a weird feeling that something's about to happen."

Storm deadpanned, "It's a bakery. It's not like someone's going to jump out and –",

Just as he said that last part, a pink, overly-excited pony literally jumped out from behind the counter, "SURPRISE!"

"AAAHHHH!" Storm had never been more startled in his life. He backed up, taking a few deep, long breaths as Pinkie just sat there with a smile that was stretching ear to ear. "You, you…what's the big idea?! And where did you even come from? No one was even behind the counter!"

Rainbow just stood there, however, as she was expecting this. She spoke in a monotone voice, going through the motions of introductions. "Storm Cloud, Pinkie Pie. Pinkie, Storm."

Able to re-collect his thoughts, he slowly approached the counter once more, "H-hi. Nice to meet you." He extended a hoof for a shake.

She, however, took this as an invitation to leap over the counter and give him a back-breaking hug, "Oh, it's SO NICE to meet you! Are you new here?! You must be new, because I've never seen you before!" She gasped loudly. "And you know what that means!"

He was thoroughly confused, "Uh, actually, I have no idea. I'm guessing it means I'm new?"

"That's right! And that means it's time to PARTY!" She suddenly pulled out a party hat seemingly out of nowhere and slammed it on his head. His eyes shot back to Rainbow Dash in fear while she stood there chuckling at his first encounter with Pinkie.

He was jolted out of his thoughts, though, after hearing the explosion of Pinkie's party cannon. Pinkie then threw him in a chair, and again defied the laws of physics as she pulled out a plate complete with cupcakes, muffins, and other assortments of dessert items from behind her back. She took one of the desserts off the plate and stuffed it in his mouth as she giggled with glee at the new arrival to Ponyville.

Rainbow stopped her giggling, as she figured Storm had enough of the introductions. She proceeded to kindly pull Pinkie off of him. After the party girl calmed down for a few minutes, she was able to show Storm around the bakery and calmly give her two guests some food. While the pair was eating though, Pinkie called Rainbow Dash over to the counter.

"Hey Dash, can you come over here and help me count the change in the register?"

Rainbow replied with a full mouth, "Be right there! Hey Storm; I'll be right back, ok?"

He nodded absentmindedly as he continued to munch on the tasty pastries. She grinned a little at seeing him eat so sloppily, and went to help Pinkie with her task.

Once at the counter, Rainbow was quickly yanked into an over-the-shoulder hug as Pinkie whispered loudly into her ear, "Your secret's safe with me, don't worry Rainbow."

Rainbow was confused by Pinkie's sudden antics. Mimicking her friend's whisper she asked, "What are you talking about? What 'secret'?"

Pinkie looked like she could explode, grinning wider than when she met Storm, "That you got a new coltfriend silly goose! Really Rainbow, you should pay more attention to the plotline sometimes."

"What plotline? You're not making any sense. And Storm is not my coltfriend!" Rainbow turned her head and felt heat flush into her face as she said this, for she felt a little embarrassed. "And how did you even think that? You just met the guy like, ten seconds ago."

"Oh come on, Dash. You really need to get that denial out of your system! Remember whenever you had to let Tank hibernate? The more you deny it, the more it hurts."

"What does Tank have to do with Storm?"

Pinkie face-hoofed, "Ugh! You're missing the point!" She grabbed her friend's face, and turned it to the direction of Storm. She pulled out a pair of binoculars and shoved them onto Rainbow's eyes to focus more on the stallion who was currently eating an éclair in a very messy fashion. "Look. He's right over there, indulging himself."

Rainbow was utterly lost. "So what's your point? I was doing the same thing before you called me over here." She shoved the binoculars off of her. "And where do you keep getting all this stuff?"

Pinkie shook her head, ignoring the last question. "The point is you think he's absolutely adorable!"

Rainbow's eyes shot open and a blush re-appeared on her face at her friend's words. She shot a look to Pinkie Pie, "I do not! He's just a friend that's visiting for a while. I don't even know how long he'll be sticking around. Plus, we just ran into each other for the first time in years yesterday. Don't get any ideas."

Pinkie just shook her head, "I don't know, I saw it in your eyes when you came in. You can't hide your feelings from Aunty Pinkie Pie."

Rainbow's blush deepened as she sighed loudly. "Look, whatever. _Maybe_ he's kind of cute. But that's beside the point! You can't just go assuming he's my coltfriend just because he happens to be a colt, and happens to be a friend. Got it? I mean, we go way back, and he's a great friend, sure. But that doesn't mean I have feelings for him." She trailed off, and sadly swatted her friend's grasping hooves away from her face as she tried to re-collect herself.

Pinkie, however, wasn't so easily convinced. "If you say so!" With that, she winked, and went back to counting the change in the register. Rainbow helped her, but couldn't shake off what her friend had just told her. It kept eating at her, even more so than how Storm was eating the desserts.

After enjoying some delicious pastries and sugary delights at Sugar Cube Corner, Rainbow Dash and Storm Cloud decided to go on a little stroll together through the town, casually walking by all the shops and stands. They decided on window shopping for now, seeing as how they wanted to save their bits as much as possible; unless something really caught their eye. They still had all of their bits on them from when they left that morning, as Pinkie generously declined them when it came time to pay for everything, using the clever excuse of, "They were only sample platters." So, with bits in their bags and a whole afternoon to spend, they decided to take it easy.

Rainbow was busy showing Storm the town as they went along. She pointed out where City Hall was, where the restaurants were (that were at least worth the money), and where the hospital was, (in case she needed him to drag her there during his stay). She also showed him where the old Golden Oaks library used to be.

He looked at the burnt crater, which was left empty since the girls had uprooted the stump for Twilight's castle. "Huh…sounds like a real tragedy whenever this place went down. From what you told me, it sounds like you guys all had some great memories here."

She smiled a small smile, as if she saw the library standing right before her once more. "Yeah, those were some good times for sure. But, there's always the now and tomorrow to make new good times, right?"

"Haha, yeah. You're absolutely right. Speaking of which, what would you like to do now? It seems like we've hit just about everywhere around the town. Everypony seems really nice, just like you said."

Dash put on that famous smirk of hers, "I told ya! See? Just stick with me and you'll be alright."

He smiled and continued trotting along. "Yeah, you were right. I'm really having a great time with you today."

"Same here; it's been a while since I got out like this and just spent the day away."

Storm nodded. After a while of looking around at vendors, he found himself looking at Rainbow. This was really their first day spending time together, and the first time he got a good look at her. She didn't look stressed out or upset, which he was thankful for. That morning had been a hell of a ride, and he was glad to see her not letting any after effects linger on more than what was required.

He was now stuck staring at her. He couldn't help but love the way the sun shone on her mane; how it made every fiber of her multi-colored hair sparkle in the radiant light. Her eyes seemed to have a twinkle in them – one that showed how content she felt in the moment she was in. He saw her smile seemed to stretch wider as he walked closer to her whenever the crowd began to get a little more populated. He put on a smile himself. For the first time since his arrival, Storm felt comfortable.

The afternoon was over now, and the evening hours were approaching at a modest pace. Most of the ponies left in the town square were finishing up their shopping for the day, leaving for home to start preparations for dinner and time with their families or significant others. Rainbow and Storm were just finishing up buying the last few items they wanted, getting ready to head back to Dash's place. Rainbow got some new Wonderbolts memorabilia, and Storm bought some new guitar strings. Rainbow looked at him with surprise, "I didn't know you played guitar. Since when did you learn?"

His voice softened a little, "Well, I always kind of did, I just never did it around anypony."

"How come?"

"I just never really thought about it. I just kind of did it for me."

Rainbow shrugged and they resumed walking again. After a while of silence, they approached Rainbow's house. She unlocked the door, and they headed inside to relax for the remainder of the evening. After getting settled in, Storm generously offered to prepare a meal for the both of them, to which Rainbow did not decline. While cooking up a stir fry, he thought it would be nice to make some conversation.

"So, Pinkie seems like a real…energetic pony. Has she always been that way?"

Rainbow scoffed, "Heh, for as long as I can remember. I met her after she had her cutie mark, so yeah; pretty much she's always been the same energetic girl. Though, sometimes she gets depressed. That's when things get truly weird."

"It can't be any weirder than hugging random ponies who don't know her, right?"

"You've clearly never seen her talk to a bucket of turnips."

Storm just looked at her. "What?"

"Nothing; I'll tell you about it later, long story." Rainbow chuckled a little bit at remembering Pinkie's mental breakdown.

As they ate, Storm remembered that Pinkie had called Rainbow over to discuss something that day at the cash register. "So, what did Pinkie want with you today? I saw her call you over to help her out, and then I saw her like, yank you into a weird hug. Was everything okay?"

Rainbow froze at what he asked. She forgot that, while he was stuffing his face with treats, that didn't make him oblivious to absolutely everything. She put her fork down as she tried to come up with an answer, "Uh, yeah. It's nothing, really. Just…girl stuff. Yeah, girl stuff – you wouldn't really understand."

"Huh. Girl stuff requires looking at me through a pair of binoculars INSIDE a building?"

Rainbow was glowing red now. She really didn't want to push this any further than it needed to go, and he was starting to travel down a road she wasn't ready to venture yet. "I uh, I'd really rather not talk about it."

"Alright, I mean, if you're sure. You know I'm here for you if you need me."

Suddenly, Rainbow felt very uncomfortable. Almost like someone was pushing down very hard on her chest. She got up from the table, "Excuse me, I need to go out for a bit. I need some air."

Storm was confused, "Was it something I said?"

"Yes. Well, no, not exactly; just, I'll be back in a while, okay?"

Storm looked on as Rainbow bolted out an open window in the kitchen, and he was left cleaning up as he thought about her odd behavior.

Dash rested on a cloud a few miles away from her house. She needed to get away from Storm. It wasn't his questioning that annoyed her; it was what he was asking about. She usually had no problem opening up to him – but it felt different this time. She remembered back to what happened at graduation – how it was all so beautiful and horrible. How he left her standing in the condolences of her friends. How after that he suddenly seemed to vanish from everyone's view for years.

She never really thought about the things that happened between her and Storm after that night. She always figured that he was the victim, and that it was all her fault. She didn't want to think about herself too much, because she always imagined that she was the one who hurt him, and not the other way around. Now her anger started to flare a little bit. Now that she was alone with her thoughts about the matter, and she was looking at things from a new perspective, she started to feel a bit differently.

The more she thought about it, the more it stewed in her brain, the more she grew pissed at Storm. She was mad at him for just leaving her after that magnificent kiss. Sure she could understand that he was scared – but he acted cowardly about it. He didn't even go to her house the next day to see if she was alright! How could he? How could he be so selfish?

But then, she remembered something – she was the one that kissed him, not the other way around.

As she let this thought settle in her mind, it made a little more sense that Storm would back away. Still, she was angry that he just left. She was angry that she felt like she might have feelings for him. She was angry that Pinkie Pie pointed that out so easily. Was it that obvious? She cursed under her breath as she punched the cloud out of frustration. Her ear perked up though, as she heard the flap of foreign wings behind her.

She looked around, but nopony was there besides her. When she looked above her, though, she saw the silhouette of an odd shape flying above her. She squinted her eyes to get a better look.

It was a griffon.

And it was flying down towards her at a rapid speed.

She prepared herself for a quick launch off the cloud, when suddenly she was tackled down onto it. She was ready to fight off her attacker when she heard laughing, and she knew that laugh from anywhere.

It was Gilda.

"Damn, Dash. Getting a little rusty on the agility, are we?"

"Ha! You wish. I was just getting ready to flip you over my back and toss you to the ground!"

"Yeah, looks like you're the one who's wishing now. So, what are you doing out here so late?"

"Eh, just needed to clear my head a little. I guess I can ask you the same thing – why are you here? You're pretty far from Griffonstone."

"I'm just passing through. I was on my way to see Fluttershy, we get together every now and then to talk about stuff and keep caught up on the latest drama in our lives. I looked down and saw a blue pegasus punching a cloud, and figured that was you not getting your way again or something."

Dash chuckled and lightly punched her friend in the shoulder for that remark. "Nah, just…some stuff happening."

"What's going on, Dash?"

Rainbow sighed heavily, "Well…I ran into Storm the other day."

Gilda's eyes went wide for a second, "Really? And how did that go?"

"Well, it started off great! We ran into each other at the bar, and got talking and stuff. He needed a place to crash, and I offered a helping hoof, and he's been at my place since yesterday."

Gilda looked skeptical, "You really think that's the best idea? You know, after what happened?"

Rainbow looked down, pushing a bit of cloud fluff with her forehoof. "That's the thing, I'm still not sure. I mean, he's nice and everything, and we got a lot of stuff out of the way this morning, but I still don't know. I don't know how I feel. I was doing just fine with everything, ya know? I have great friends, I go on adventures, and I got a steady job that isn't half bad. And then this happens! Ugh!" She punched the cloud again, and felt her eyes get a little watery. "Why does life do this? Why can't it just be simple? I was doing so well, and then he comes back…"

Gilda sat next to her friend, and wrapped a wing around her. "Look, Dash. I'm not the best when it comes to giving advice, we both know that. But if there's ever anything you've taught me, is that everything happens for a reason. You think I was expecting you to come to Griffonstone with Pinkie and help us? Hell no. Am I thankful for it even though I didn't like it at first? Of course I am. So, maybe that's the same case with Storm."

"What do you mean?"

"What I'm saying is, think about it – isn't it odd that he just happened to be at the same exact bar you were at? How, out of all the ponies in Equestria, _you_ were the one he ran into? Maybe something good is meant to come out of this. I'm not saying to get all mushy gushy right off the bat, I'm just saying – give whatever happens a chance. Who knows? You might like the outcome."

Shocked at her friend's serious disposition and wise advice, Rainbow looked up and hugged her griffon friend, "Thanks, Gilda. I guess it just feels like I just have no idea what to expect lately, and I don't like that."

"Sometimes, Dash, things happen that we don't expect. But, that doesn't mean it won't be a good thing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to be getting to Fluttershy's place. She said something about having tea. Ugh…save me…"

Rainbow laughed at Gilda's discomfort at feminine things, empathizing with her pain. She waved goodbye, and started her flight back to her home.

Maybe things won't be so bad?


End file.
